Growing a beard is popular right now, so it would seem like a poor time to start a shaving supply company.
"I'm totally OK with that," says Army veteran Andrew Weiss, founder of Battle Brothers Shaving Company. "It is the age of the beard right now, but a lot of people still need to shave."
Weiss wants potential customers -- especially vets -- to know he has a product that not only pays for itself in short order, but it also will help save a little face every day. Your grandpa might recognize it. Many younger men may have seen it only on TV.
"Oh, it's much better for your skin," he says, referring to his company's safety razors. "It's a much sharper blade -- and they're recyclable, too."
Weiss is passionate about shaving, and it shows. He founded Battle Brothers in 2017 with money he saved from his two deployments as a helicopter crew chief in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was during one of those deployments that he discovered a passion for shaving.
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He used to make fun of one of his senior sergeants while deployed to Iraq, watching him shave every day with an antiquated-looking, double-edged razor. One day, that noncommissioned officer challenged Weiss to give the "old-school" razor a try.
The sergeant showed the then-23-year-old soldier how to make a thick lather, using a shaving brush. He then learned how to use the razor without slicing off parts of his face. The verdict was soon clear.
"It was the best shave I ever had," Weiss recalls. "And now I just love everything behind it."
Eventually, Weiss showed others and a new hobby was born. Everyone loved the new, old way of shaving. Even after leaving the Army in 2014, shaving was a way for him to connect with his military life.
After a while, he was looking for something to do with his time and energy, not to mention the considerable money he'd saved during his deployments. Battle Brothers Shaving Company was the product of Weiss' passion for a close shave.
"I thought to myself, 'I'm going to go out there and do this for real, to share the experience,'" he said. "That's where my heart and my passion comes from, is sharing the experience of a better way to shave."
Battle Brothers razors are made from sturdy stainless steel and its brushes from durable synthetic fibers. But the former Black Hawk crew chief is most excited for his latest product, a Made-in-America razor crafted from the same aluminum as the Black Hawk itself.
Some people might be thrown off by the cost of the razors, as his company's kits cost $99 -- complete with razor, brush and stand. But they also come with 100 replacement blades. Weiss says the investment is worth it.
"I'm completely self-funded, and we make a quality product," he says. "I understand the initial investment, but it definitely pays for itself."
In the future, he wants to tackle women's products, a market he says is completely underserved when it comes to a quality shave.
"Companies that make shaving products for women tend to think tiny, fluffy and pink," he says. "Women should have quality products that work for them ... not just pink."
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